Inflatable mattress



Juy 10, 1956 E, D, BARKER 2,753,573

INFLATABLE MATTRESS Filed NOV. 8, 1951 A r ram/f United States Patent() INFLATABLE MATTRESS Edward D. Barker, New Carlisle, Ohio Application November 8, 1951, Serial No. 255,509

4 Claims. (Cl. 5-350) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 265) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to an inatable mattress especially adapted to military use, although capable of general employment.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a comfortable, adjustable, strong, tough mattress which is cornparatively light in weight and which can be rolledup when deliated, to a small light package. Another object is to provide a mattress of the above character which is inflatable to a considerable degree of internal pressure without a metal pump. Another object is to provide a mattress having an integral combined ination bag and pillow. Another object is to provide a mattress which may be combined with others of light construction for use as a float, bridge or raft.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the mattress showing the inflation bag extended. Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective, showing the preferred material of which the bag is made and its construction. Figure 3 is a side elevation of substantially the same fragment shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 correspends to Figure 2, except that a two deck material instead of a three deck material as shown in Figure 2 is employed. Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the form of inflatable mattress shown in Fig. 2 showing how the flange of the mattress is formed.

Referring again to Figure l, indicates the body of the mattress, which is preferably made of the fabric shown in Figures 2 and 3. Body 1G is substantially surrounded by a margin of flange 11 in which there are spaced at regular intervals a` plurality of grommets 12. At one end of the body 10 there is an air inlet and exit valve 13 which may be of the kind manufactured by A. Schrader t Sons, Type #2127 or Type #2180-8 or equivalent. These valves are of the manually adjustable type to regulate the inlet and the exit rate of air passing through and they are also capable of total closure. These valves may have attached to them a rubber hose 14 by which the body 10 may be inflated directly by mouth. Surrounding the valve 13 and hose 14, as shown in Figure 1, there is a rubberized cloth or thin plastic inflation bag 1S which is preferably of trapezoidal shape. lt may optionally be provided with a puckering or draw string 16 at its narrower or outer end 17, through which it can be inflated by merely opening it to fill it with air, then closing the outer end and rolling it up.

Referring new to Figures 2 and 4, 18 is a lower sheet, 19 an intermediate sheet, and 20 a top sheet of strong fabric, preferably nylon, which has been rubberized on its outer surfaces 21 and 22, the inner sheet 19 being internally rubberized. It is desired that the bottom surface 21 and the top surface 22 have a smooth waterproof coating, such as may be achieved by coating a thin, loosely woven fabric with rubber or neoprene Connecting the inner surfaces of sheets 18 and 19 and the outer surface of 19 with the inner surface of sheet 20 there are y 2,753,571 Patented July l0, 1956 ICC numerous parallelism-preserving or stabilizing threads 23 which are arranged in rows, such rows being optionally lengthwise or crosswise on the body 10. The threads 23 are preferably quite numerous and may range in number from 16 to the square inch to 60 to the square inch, the larger in number of the joining or distance limiting threads 23, the finer should be each thread. As shown in Figure 3, each sheet 18, 19 or 20 is made of two layers, two outer layers of the sheets 18 and 2@ being 24 and 25 respectively and consisting largely of pure rubber or neoprene. The threads 23 are imbedded in the layers 24 and 25 only to such extent as will obtain secure adhesion under stress. The threads 23 are adhesively attached to the sheet 19 on both sides thereof, the inner neoprene layer of sheet 19 being 26. The inner or intermediate sheet has two functions, the first being that of stabilization and the second being that of a convection-current block. The air between the sheets 13 and 19 is not able to penetrate through the sheets 19 and Ztl and eonsequently air which has been near the ground and has consequently been chilled, cannot mix to any extent with the air which has been in more or less close contact with the sleepers body and which consequently has become warmed.

The flange 11 is produced by cementing the two sheets 18 and 2i) together at the edges and piercing the so combined sheets to provide a substantial number of holes which are encircled by the grommets 12. Sheet 19 is left free so that inflation air may circulate around it through these free edges. Lashings may be employed to bind one mattress to another mattress and so build up another structure which will float on water and which is capable of supporting personnel.

While a three sheet construction is preferred, my invention is not limited to three sheets, but may dispense with the sheet 19 and utilize only sheets 16 and 2i?, these being connected as before with a multiplicity of threads 23. ln the three sheet embodiment of the invention the threads 23 are substantially integral with textile fabrics 27 and 28 and 28a and 29, while in the embodiment utilizing two sheets 18 and 2t), the threads 23 integrally connect fabrics 27 and 29 as can be clearly understood with reference to Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. While it is preferred to have the sheets 19 and 2t) and 19 and 1d or 18 and 20 connected by regular rows of threads 2&1, nevertheless it is within the scope of the invention to have these threads arranged in a different pattern than that shown or in an entirely random pattern.

l't can be seen from the left side of Figure 5 that the ange 11 is produced by bringing sheets 1S and 2b together and cementing them in an airtight and watertight manner with an adhesive layer 30, preferably neoprene l latex, which should be properly heat sealed. The threads 23 are preferably removed from those portions of sheets 18 and 2i) which are used to malte the flange 11. The flange may also be made of three sheets, 18, 19 and 2t), in which case there is adhesive between each pair of sheets.

ln operation, the mattress is unrolled and laid on the ground, the operators arm is inserted through the mouth or open end 17 of the inflation bag to grasp the valve 13 and open same. If the operator desires to inflate the bag to a low pressure hurriedly he may do so either by blowing directly through the valve 13 or blowing into a rubber hose 1.4 which he has attached to the valve 13. Use of the hose for mouth inflation is imperative at temperatures below freezing to avoid freezing of the users lips to the metal parts of the valve 13. After mouth inflation, or in place of mouth inflation, inflation with the bag 15 may be practiced. To perform this function, the valve 13 is first opened, the outer end 17 of the bag 15 is puckered either by the use of the draw string 16 or by gathering the bag mouth 17 between the hands. The user then blows through the puckered bag mouth 17 until he has inflated the bag 15, whereupon he rolls the puckered bag rnouth 17 toward the valve 13, thus forcing the air which is contained in the bag through the valve 13 and into the body 1li. The bag 15 is in liuid communication with both the spaces between the sheets 18 and 19 and spaces between the sheets 19 and 2li. The inllation cycle is continued, using the inflation bag until the desired pressure has been reached. For use as a tloat, the internal pressure may be desired to be fairly high; in fact higher than may be obtained by mouth ination alone.

For use as a pillow, the inflation bag 15 may be inllated by mouth, the draw string 16 being tightened and bag 15 rolled up partially by rolling the bag from the mouth end in order to balloon that end of the bag 15 which is near the body 10. The ballooned portion forms a pillow and is now placed over the end of the body portion 10 and the appropriate bedding or sleeping bag is placed on the top surface 22 of the mattress. Or, inflation of the initation bag may be dispensed with and the users outer clothing may be stored within the ination bag for use as a head rest.

While for convenience, the surface 22 has been spoken of as the top and thc surface 21 as the bottom, in practice these are interchangeable and the mattress may be placed on either one of them.

In all of the above described constructions, it is to be understood that a two sheet body such as shown in Figure 4 may be substituted for the three sheet body shown in Figures 2 and 3.

I claim as my invention:

1, An inllatable mattress comprising at least an upper and a lower sheet of air-impervious material, said sheets being joined at their edges to form an airtight enclosure, and rows of closely spaced parallel threads formed integrally with the respective sheets adhesively secured thereto and imbedded therein, extending therebetween providing a stabilizing means, the threads ranging in number from 16 to 60 per square inch.

2. An inatablc mattress comprising, an upper and a lower sheet of air impermeable material, said sheets being joined at their edges to form an airtight enclosure, a third sheet of Kinterns-illy rubberized air impermeable material arranged intermediate said upper and lower sheets to deline an upper and a lower space thereby, aligned stabilizing thread elements substantially vertically arranged relative said sheets, integrally connecting thereto and respectively connecting said upper and said intermediate sheet and said lower and said intermediate sheet, their extremities respectively embedding in the rubberized portions thereof only to an extent to sufficiently secure adhesion under stress, a perimeter portion of said intermedi- 'ate sheet being spaced laterally relative the sides of thc said mattress formed by the joined portion of said upper and lower sheets, and inflation means connected into said airtight enclosure whereby, on inflation thereof, said vertically and integrally connecting threads and said intel'- mediatersheet effect a stabilizing of the structure obtained thereby and said intermediate sheet forms a convectioncurrent block permitting inflation of the enclosure but preventing free intermixture of the air resulting in said upper and lower spaces.

3. An inflatable mattress comprising, an upper and a lower `sheet of externally rubberized fabric material, said sheets being joined at their edges to forni an airtight enclosure, a third sheet of internally rubberized fabric material arranged intermediate said upper and lower sheets to define an upper and lower space thereby, thread elements substantially vertically arranged relative said sheets, integrally connecting thereto and respectively connecting said upper and said intermediate sheet and said lower and said intermediate sheet, the verticalV extremities olf each lin td being embedded in the rubberized portions of the Sheets connected thereby for secure adhesion under stress, said intermediate sheet having at least a portion thereof in laterally spaced relation to said enclosure to provide an inllating passage between said upper and lower spaces, and inllation means in said airtight enclosure whereby on inilation thereof said connecting threads and said intermediate sheet provide a stabilizing of the structure obtained thereby and said intermediate sheet forms a convection-current block permitting pressure inflation but preventing consequent intermixture of air between said upper and lower spaces.

4. An inflatable mattress comprising, an upper and a lower sheet of air impermeable material, said sheets being joined at their edges to form an airtight enclosure, a third sheet of internally rubberized air impermeable material arranged intermediate said upper and lower sheets to define an upper and a lower space thereby, aligned stabilizing thread elements substantially vertically arranged relative said sheets, integrally connecting thereto and respectively connecting said upper and said intermediate Sheet and said lower and said intermediate sheet, the extremities of the respective thread elements respectively embedding in said sheets only to an extent suilicient to secure adhesion thereto under stress, said stabilizing thread elements being arranged in closely spaced parallel rows which are coextensive with said intermediate sheet,

a perimeter portion of saidA intermediate sheet being spaced laterally relative the sides of said mattress formed by the joined portions of said upper and lower sheets,

and intlation means connected into said airtight enclosure whereby, on inflation thereof, said vertically and integrally connecting threads and said intermediate sheet effect a stabilizing of the structure obtained thereby, the lateral spacing of said intermediate sheet being such that it forms a convection current block permitting inflation of the enclosure but preventing free intermixture of the air resulting in said upper and lower spaces.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES lATENTS 402,992 Snavely May 7, 1889 539,621 Jordan May 21, 1895 620,923 Hill Mar. 14, 1899 712,720 Richardson Nov. 4, 1902 713,329 Morton Nov. 11, 1902 916,802 Thompson Mar. 30, 1909 1,324,009 Hope Dec. 2, 1919 1,944,466 Rubin Jan. 23, 1934 2,046,039 Schaar June 30, 1936 2,423,890 Hurt July 15, 1947 2,581,357 Burstein Jan. 8, 1952 

